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Too much information? Predictors of information overload in the context of online news exposure
Publikationstyp
Journal Article
Date Issued
2018-08-03
Sprache
English
Volume
21
Issue
8
Start Page
1151
End Page
1167
Citation
Information Communication & Society 21 (8): 1151-1167 (2018)
Publisher DOI
Scopus ID
Publisher
Routledge
As the Internet provides massive amounts of heterogeneous information, people may perceive this medium as challenging. The difficulty to evaluate and select relevant information increases as more and more diverse sources and content are available. Information overload (IO) may be the consequence. The research presented here gives a first comprehensive overview of possible indicators for IO in the context of online news exposure. Based on an online survey (N=419), we found that younger people with less information-seeking self-efficacy were more susceptible to experience IO. Additionally, we identified motivations for media consumption and information retrieval strategies in the Internet that imply IO. With our results, we contribute to a further understanding of IO and provide an important basis for future research needed to face the challenges resulting from the rising media diversity.
Subjects
Information overload
information retrieval strategies
motivations for media consumption
online news exposure
self-efficacy
DDC Class
600: Technology